Asclepias syriaca

Common Names

Common Milkweed, Milkweed, Common Silkweed, Silkweed, Silk Grass, Silky Swallow Wort, Butterfly Flower, Virginia Silkweed, Virginian Silk

Summary

Common milkweed is a native North American perennial that forms tall, clonal stands from spreading rhizomes. It grows about 2–6 ft tall with opposite oblong leaves and dense clusters of highly fragrant pink to white flowers in summer; the nectar-rich blooms attract pollinators, including monarch butterfly caterpillars, making it a key host plant for monarchs. A milky latex is produced when stems or leaves are crushed, and seed pods mature in fall to release wind-dispersed seeds with long flossy hairs.

Best grown in full sun with well-drained soil, it tolerates drought and a range of moisture once established. It spreads by seed and rhizomes, can naturalize, and is considered easy to grow; to manage spread, remove seed pods before they split. It is relatively low maintenance and highly attractive to pollinators, making it suitable for butterfly gardens, meadows, prairies, and naturalized plantings; uses include fiber historically and seed floss once used in life jackets, with seeds that carry coma for wind dispersal.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

2-6.5 feet

Spread

2-4 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun, tolerates Partial Sun to Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

4.8-7.2, Acidic to mildly alkaline soils, No specific ideal pH; tolerates acid, neutral, and alkaline soils

Bloom Color

Pink

Bloom Time

Late Spring to Midsummer

Foliage Color

Green, dark green on the upper surface and lighter green underneath.

Fall Foliage Color

Yellow

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Rapid

Seasons of Interest

Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators